Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are three closely related religions. Because they all revere Abraham and certain other patriarchs mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, Christian Scriptures and Qur'an as their spiritual ancestors, they are sometimes called Abrahamic religions.
It is difficult to compare Christianity to any other religion, because there is such a wide range of beliefs and practices among various wings of Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican communion and the tens of thousands of Protestant faith groups. Some commentators have suggested that Christianity consists of a number of different religions which share little more than the Bible and the name of their religion. Protestant Christianity is obviously divided into a least liberal and conservative wings -- divisions which hold few beliefs in common. Some of the descriptions below will thus necessarily be somewhat simplistic and lacking in precision.
(This comparison is copied from neutral website and it is left to your mind to decide which religion has the more logic and convincing concepts)
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Name of the religion: |
Christianity |
Islam |
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Meaning of the name: |
Believer in Christ (a Greek word meaning Messiah). |
Submission to the will of God. |
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Name of a believer: |
Christian. |
Muslim. |
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Date of founding: |
circa 30 CE. 1 |
622 CE. 2 |
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Name of founder(s): |
Yeshua of Nazareth (aka Jesus Christ, (pbuh) 3 & Paul. |
Most religious historians credit Muhammad (pbuh) as the founder. 3 However, Muslims generally regard Islam as dating back to the time of creation |
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% of world's population as followers: |
33%. |
20%. |
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Worldwide growth rate in numbers of members 4 |
2.3%/year. |
2.9%/yr. |
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Growth rate of the religion as a % of the world's population: |
About 0.0%. Numbers have been static for decades. |
Increase of about 0.6%/yr. |
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Estimated year when Islam will become the most popular world religion: |
2023 CE (if above numbers are valid) to beyond 2200 CE (as estimated by some religious futurists) |
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% of U.S. population as followers: |
2001 ARIS study estimates 76%, and declining. |
2001 ARIS study estimates 0.5%; some Muslim groups estimate 6 million (2%). |
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Major traditions or denominations: |
Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, and others. |
Shi'ite, Sunni, Sufi. Sufi is a mystical tradition. |
Beliefs:
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Name of the religion: |
Christianity |
Islam |
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Concept of deity: |
Most believe in the Trinity; three persons in one Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. |
God (Allah) is one and indivisible. They believe in a strict monotheism. "Allah" means God in Arabic. |
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Status of Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ): |
Generally considered the Son of God, worshiped as God; one person of the Trinity. |
Very highly respected as the second-last prophet; next to Muhammad in importance. |
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Birth of Yeshua: |
Conservatives: virgin conception. |
Virgin conception. |
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Death of Yeshua: |
Executed by Roman Army circa 30 CE. |
He was not killed, or suffered death. Muslims believe that he ascended alive into heaven. 2 |
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Yeshua's location |
Ascended into Heaven |
Ascended into Heaven |
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Identity of "another helper" or "comforter" * |
Holy Spirit |
Muhammad |
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Second coming of Jesus |
Conservatives: expect in near future. Liberals: varied. |
Anticipate his second coming in the future. |
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Status of Adam: |
Disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. |
Free from all major sins and faults. Some regard him as a prophet. |
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Main holy book: |
Bible 6 |
Qur'an 7 |
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Original languages: |
Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek. |
Arabic. |
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Status of the holy book: |
Conservatives: the inerrant Word of God. Liberals: a historical document. |
God's word and final revelation, dictated by angel Gabriel. |
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Additional guidance: |
Writings of the leaders of the early Church. For Roman Catholics: church tradition. |
The Hadith -- sayings of Muhammad (pbuh). |
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Ethic of reciprocity (Golden rule): |
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Matthew 7:12 |
"Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." Fourth Hadith of an-Nawawi 13 |
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A baby's status at birth |
Various views. One is that a baby is born with a sin nature, separated from God. Baptism restores the connection. |
All babies are a born in a pure state of submission to Allah. However, as they mature they are often taught other beliefs. |
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Life after death: |
Either Heaven or Hell. Catholics believe in Purgatory as a third, temporary, state. |
Paradise or Hell. |
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Basis of determining who goes to Heaven or Paradise: |
There is no consensus in Christianity. Different faith groups hold Various diverse beliefs: trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior, good works, church sacraments, baptism, avoiding the undefined unforgivable sin. |
Once they reach puberty, his/her account of deeds is opened in Paradise. To attain paradise, at death, their good deeds (helping others, testifying to the truth of God, leading a virtuous life)... must outweigh their evil deeds. |
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Confessing sins: |
Roman Catholic: to God or Jesus, either directly or through a priest; Others: to God or Jesus |
To Allah |
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Probably the most misunderstood term: |
Immaculate Conception: Roman Catholics believe that the conception of the Virgin Mary, circa 20 BCE, was without sin. Many incorrectly relate it to Yeshua's' conception. |
Jihad: internal, personal struggle towards the attainment of a noble goal. Many incorrectly equate it to "holy war." |
* From John 14:16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."
Notes:
- The Christian church is normally considered to have begun at Pentecost, 50 days after Christians believe that Jesus was executed. Unfortunately, the year of his death is unknown.
- Most religious historians view Islam as having been founded in 622 CE. However, many if not most of the followers of Islam believe that:
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Islam existed before Muhammad (pbuh) was born. |
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The origins of Islam date back to the creation of the world. |
- Muslims traditionally acknowledge respect for Muhammad, Jesus and other prophets (peace be upon them) by adding this phrase or an abbreviation "(pbuh)" after their names.
- Greg H. Parsons, Executive Director, "U.S. Center for World Mission," Pasadena, CA; quoted in Zondervan News Service, 1997-FEB-21.
- One exception is the Nation of Islam which promotes a black supremacist ideology. For example, leader Louis Farrakhan stated that "White people are potential humans'they haven't evolved yet." (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2000-MAR-18). However, most Muslims do not consider the Nation of Islam to be part of Islam, because of its unique beliefs about God, humanity and the rest of the universe.
- The books included in the Bible differ among Christian faith groups. The Roman Catholic Church includes the Apocrypha; most other Christian denominations do not. Members of the approximately 100 faith groups in the LDS Restorationist movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) add other holy books, including the Book of Mormon. Christian Scientists consider Mary Baker Eddy's book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" to be a major resource.
- Muslims generally believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of God, as dictated to Muhammad over an interval of 23 years. It is the only book that is considered free of tahrif (error). There are four additional books:
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